No, they don't represent me. At least about 99% anyway. The one I like the most is a western hunting program by The Eastman family that specialize in DIY hunting.

Here is the standard set up: XYZ outfitter scouts out giant animal and gives hunt to celebrity hunter who is filmed killing said animal on t.v.

Outfitter gets in return a flood of hunters who want he same thing but more than likely end up with 120"-140" animal. Outfitter rapes his lease and takes profit to lease your family's 3rd generation hunting lease out from under you.

I actually am in agreement here. Eastman's are one of the best show's I've seen so far. I respect their quest to get out there after the legit trophy animal in DIY mode on PUBLIC land. I agree.

Those hunting (and fishing) shows are about as realistic as an episode of Spiderman.

i don't think they represent us. we all don't go out on ranches and shoot monster bucks each year...we go out what ever comes around, comes around. its for the thrill of the hunt, not for what we pay for

Do you people think the hunting shows really represent us average hunter?

I don't think they do at all. An average hunter doesn't have the kind of access, means, nor money for their kind of hunts. Personally,I could care less. I would rather hunt the wayI am. I don't like the way the big shots on hunting shows go about their hunts. It seems to me that they don't have to work nearly as hard as us and still obtain such amazing results. They basically have the trophy given to them. The game ranches they hunt are almost guaranteed to produce a trophy for them. It is not as fun to me as average joes hunts in the back 40. Having to work so hard and long to achieve the trophy you dreamed of is a lot more fun to me. I am convinced that anyone with the money to go to those game ranches the "pro's" hunt is gonna get a huge buck eventually. It's guaranteed. I have nothing against those places,I just don't think they appeal as much to me. If I hunted a place that was managed specifically to produce hundreds of giant bucks, the outfitter knew the place perfectly, and all I had to do was pay him and sit in a well picked stand and shoot the monster that came by, I would be bored. If, on the other hand,I had to work and scout and sweat for my trophy and knewI had done everything myself,I would feel much more satisfied. The pros shoot hundreds of giant bucks. Wouldn't that wear thin? Who would be more satisfied? An average Joe that hunted his whole life and shot a 160 after many yearss, or a "pro" that shot one every year at some game ranch that was prepared and set up perfectly for him, with no work of his own involved. I think it is obvious.

I am not saying that some pros don't work hard. It seems that many don't though. That's all I'm saying. When you watch dozens of videos of hunts in the best producing places in the world for giant whitetails and then compare it to your hunting land, it seems a bit different. People expect too much after watching these hunting videos. I may never see a 160 in my lifetime around here, but I'm happy by at least realizing that. What makes a trophy? Is it the rack? The hunting videos out make it out that way. I don't think it is though.

All I'm saying is that many hunting videos are very unrealistic in terms of average Joe's own success. Hunting videos are only entertainment and dreams for us.

Are the pros really more successful than us or do they just have the turf and stands to seem that way? You decide.

The beast is dead, long live the beast

The mystical flight of the arrow

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Anyone remember the Quest series? Early to mid 80's. They were very instructional in basics and didn't mind taking does or smaller bucks. They show their age but I thought they were pretty good. I'd also like something with some higher quality (maybe HD) photos as well. Maybe some beautiful transition shots or setting shots to give you an idea of what kind of area you're hunting and why you chose your stand location but beautiful at the same time. The kind that would make you hit pause for a few seconds.